Do you remember when we only had landlines and long-distance phone calls cost a small fortune? I certainly do; in fact, I remember when my grandparents had a party line. You could spread the town gossip on a party line as quickly as you can today on Facebook, X (Formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, or TikTok. For those of you who are too young to know what a party line was, it simply meant you and several neighbors shared a phone line. There were several issues with party lines. For one, everyone’s phone rang when anyone sharing the party line received a call, so you had to know your family’s distinctive ring. Additionally, you would pick the phone up to make a call, and someone in another home would already be on the line, so you would have to wait your turn. It is very easy to see how the town gossip spread so quickly.  

I have digressed. This post is actually about snail mail. How many of you who are 40+ years old remember the thrill of rushing to the mailbox when you were younger to see if you had letters or cards from friends and relatives who lived in another area code, state, or country because we certainly did not spend money on those expensive long-distance calls? We had the same mailman; yes, it was always a man for years when I was a child, and he always showed up at the same time every day. I can remember being so excited when I saw him walking up to the mailbox and even more excited if he left a card or a letter in the mailbox by the front door. I would wait impatiently for my parents or grandparents to read it and share the news from around the world, or more likely, just a county or two over. It was even more exciting when I was older, and the mail was for me. I would save all those letters and cards in an old green Stride Rite Shoebox.

Once upon a time, out of necessity, we often sent cards and letters to friends near and far. We celebrated birthdays, graduations, babies, anniversaries, and many other events. We also sent words of encouragement when someone was ill, had lost a friend or family member, or was going through a hard time. And we always sent thank you cards when we received a gift. I used to love checking the mail in December for the red and green envelopes that contained Christmas cards. To tell the truth, I still love receiving Christmas cards. We now tend to rely on one of these much quicker forms of communication. 

• A text message, and if we are fancy, we will include a GIF.
• An email is mainly for those of us of a certain age.
• A post on X, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. I must admit that some people take the time to make creative videos to honor someone’s special occasion, which can take much more time than sending a card.

The power of these forms of communication is they are instantaneous and cheap. If I forget someone’s birthday, I can quickly text them or post belated wishes on social media. Yes, I post birthday and congratulations messages on social media all the time for acquaintances, friends, and family. Additionally, I also try to send cards to close friends and family because I think they are more meaningful. Cards and postage are costly, I do agree. To offset those costs, I buy pretty blank cards in bulk from Amazon that I use to send various messages. My mom also convinced me to start shopping for cards at Dollar Tree, and I must say, most of the time, they have an excellent selection. Regarding postage, all I can say is buy Forever Stamps.

Cards and letters sent by mail are on the endangered species list, and I propose we fight to save them from extinction. Join me in my crusade to save this endangered species by sending a card or letter to someone you care about. Post a picture of a card or letter you are sending via snail mail on your social media account using the hashtag #savesnailmail. Please do not post pictures with addresses showing on social media. 

I know we can spread some cheer to those we love by mailing them a card or note.